Mentalrobics™

You exercise your body to stay physically in shape, so why shouldn't you exercise your brain to stay mentally fit? With these daily exercises you will learn how to flex your mind, improve your creativity and boost your memory. As with any exercise, repetition is necessary for you to see improvement, so pick your favorite exercises from our daily suggestions and repeat them as desired. Try to do some mentalrobics every single day!

Meditation is a contemplative practice that calms or focuses the mind. Although meditation is commonly associated with Eastern religions, it is practiced in nearly every religion and is frequently used outside of the religion context for personal development and relaxation.

Relaxation Response and Progressive Muscle Relaxation are examples of non-religious meditations used to calm the mind and body. There are many different types of formalized meditations that follow a specific routine. Beginners will probably find these easier to start with because there are rules to follow. Once you become adept at focusing your mind, you can easily create your own routines.

A basic goal of meditation is to reach a mental state where your mind is free of thoughts. Beginners will probably find it difficult to meditate for more than a few minutes without having distracting thoughts entire their minds, but with practice and determination it is possible to silence the mind.

One technique used to help quiet the mind is to turn your attention to a single object, such as your breathing. Breath awareness and breath counting is used in many meditations. Some people find it helpful to have a mantra, which is a sound, word or phrase that you can repeat to yourself. In the Relaxation Response meditation, the word "one" is used as a mantra.

If you want to start meditating to reduce stress or for some other reason, it is advisable to pick one or two routines and stick with them. Set aside 15-20 minutes every day to practice and you will quickly improve.

The Relaxation Response is a simple technique developed by Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson to help reduce stress and prevent heart disease and other problems that can go along with it.

Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Starting with your toes and moving up towards your head, relax every muscle in your body and keep them relaxed throughout the exercise. Now, focus your attention on your breath. Breathing through your nose, silently say the word "one" on each exhalation. When you find your mind wandering, gently but firmly return your attention to your breathing. With practice you may be able to get through an entire 10-20 minute session without having your mind wander. When you finish, sit quietly for a few moments before returning to your day.

This simple exercise is very effective at returning your body to a calm and relaxed state.

The muscles in the shoulders are a very common place for people to carry tension from being under stress. One way to feel less stressed is to reduce this tension. This simple stretching exercise will help you do just that.

Similar to how Pavlov's dog had associated food with the sound of a bell, it's possible to program your mind to associate some stimuli with being in a relaxed and calm state. This can be a very effect way of coping with stress.

The first step is to find a trigger that you can use on yourself. It should be something that doesn't happen in a normal day. Maybe it could be sticking a finger in your ear, pinching the back of your hand, or taking a whiff from one of your scent canisters.

The second step is to associate this trigger with the state of being calm and relaxed. Try to conjure up a vivid memory of a time in the past when you were totally at peace. Try to recreate all the sounds, smells and images. Once you think you have a good visualization, program it into your mind by sticking your finger in your ear, or whatever else you have chosen to be your trigger. In the future, whenever you are naturally feeling calm and relaxed you should reinforce your trigger by doing it.

Now that you have programmed your mind to associate the trigger with a relaxed state, you can use it whenever you feel stressed. Simply activate your trigger and you will immediately start feeling more relaxed.

Chronic stress can cause an imbalance in the neurochemicals that contribute to elevating our mood and reducing anxiety. Fortunately, research has shown that you can reduce the imbalance simply by smiling or laughing, regardless of your actually mood. When you smile or laugh, your brain gets fooled into thinking that it is happy, and releases the corresponding neurochemicals. Laughter has been shown to have the following benefits.

If you are having a hard time getting motivated to do something and you need a pick me up, try smiling or laughing out loud. It may sound silly, but it can actually improve your mood and get you thinking more creatively. So, when life gives you a frown, turn it upside down!